Round The States

New Delhi, 10 September 2008

Small Nano, Big Hurdle

INDUSTRY WARY OF POLITICAL SHENANIGANS

By Insaf

The Singur siege may well be over officially, but it has done its damage and set a bad precedent for the industry, at least in West Bengal if not elsewhere. For one, it is uncertain whether the Tatas will still roll out the wonder car, Nano from there or go to other plants in Uttarakhand, Karnataka or Maharashtra. Two, IT major Infosys technologies is “rethinking” its maiden investment plan in the State as it has seen the “political parties intimidating top businessmen, stopping people from work, blocking national highways and even non-enforcement of high court order…” Three, there is bound to be resistance to land acquisition for future plants, particularly power plants in the backdrop of the nuclear deal going through. On Monday last, Bengal Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi brokered a deal between Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee, ending the Singur siege by the latter.

The compromise, “land-for-land” worked out is: land would be given to farmers who did not take financial compensation for the land acquired for the Nano plant and the Vendor’s Park. The Government would part with 47.11 acres land belonging to the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation within the factory compound. And, this according to the Government would in no way affect the Tata factory or the Park. However, the Tata’s are firm that they will not part with any land from within the Nano complex. Moreover, they want a firm assurance that there would be no more political blackmailing and disruption of work before they resume production at the factory premises. Else, this would be the end of the road for the Nano in West Bengal.

Other than Singur, three other States, Orissa, Meghalaya and Andhra Pradesh have raised the ante on popular resistance to land acquisition. If a car project has the farmers of Bengal all ‘revved up’, the steel plant with South Korea’s Posco has disconnected the land-owners in Orissa, who refuse to part with their land. With land required for nuclear power plants the government will need to tread carefully, as there would be resistance from people because of the radiation risks. Thus, solar power plants could be an answer. However, they require huge areas--running into thousands of acres. Can either the States or the Centre acquire the requisite land easily? Andhra Pradesh and Meghalaya have already given the signal--opening of new uranium mines in these two States has been put on hold thanks to protesting villagers as they do not trust Government assurances. Looks like, the industrialists may join the no-confidence club. 

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Assam Angry With PM

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s recent visit to Assam with an eye on the next Lok Sabha poll has left the indigenous people of the State unhappy, even angry. They are glad that the PM laid the foundation stone of the Jorhat Medical College and announced an education package with proposals to create world-class educational institutions in the State --- a world-class university, an institute of petroleum technology and a national design institute on the pattern of the well-known National Institute of Design at Ahmedabad. Importantly, however, the PM failed to address the core issues facing the State: illegal infiltration, increasing terrorism sponsored by Bangladesh and initiation of the dialogue process with the ULFA. They expected the PM to deal with these issues against the backdrop of the recent observation by the Guwahati High Court that Bangladeshis had already become “kingmakers” in Assam. What is more, Pakistan’s ISI is pushing ahead with its design to establish a Greater Islamic State of Bangladesh including Assam. This, according to the Guwahati High Court, is a most serious threat that faces the State and its indigenous people.

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Will Sheila Dixit Create History? 

Is Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit poised to create history? Political pundits answer may well be in the affirmative, given the possibility of her steering the Congress for another five-year rule in the Union Capital. Come November, Delhi along with five other States goes to the polls. The soothsayers’ confidence is based on three factors: One, Congressmen do need her given her sober image. Two, she is their best bet amidst the warring factions. Notwithstanding, daggers against her once elections are over. However, her ‘Party’ could well be over if her detractors within (Sonia’s Political Secretary Ahmed Patel) succeed in putting a spoke in her winning wheel. Three, the BJP is in total disarray. Its Prime Ministerial candidate Advani, has made no impact and it has yet to find a counter to Dixit.  All eyes are on which way the poll wheel turns!

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Madhya Pradesh too is abuzz with who will be Congress supremo Sonia Gandhi’s favourite for Chief Ministership in the forthcoming Assembly poll. Will it be the Union Commerce Minister Kamal Nath, who is backed by AICC General Secretary Digvijay Singh. The former two-terms Chief Minister has made plain that he is not in the running. Raising a moot point: Is it pay back time? Recall, without Nath’s backing Singh might not have been Chief Minister. However, Nath would need Sonia’s “compulsory blessings” After all, it was thanks to her that Diggy Raja, was ‘blessed’ with the all-important General Secretary-ship, despite losing the State elections. Not a few Congressmen aver that Sonia would plumb for MPCC Chief Suresh Pachouri, regardless of popular sentiment. As she did in Chhattisgarh, when Ajit Jogi was made CM despite open rebellion by State satraps. 

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Meghalaya Mosque Opens To Women

Meghalaya has earned the distinction of being the first State in the region to allow women into mosques to worship alongside men. Last Friday, the special Ramzan aazan in the Idgah Masjid in Lalban area of Shillong witnessed a mixed congregation, with a number of women with headscarves offering prayers. The mosque, which has been built by Shillong Muslim Union (SMU) divides the male and female section with a curtain. Many are happy that a beginning has been made. Said the Masjid’s General Secretary: “It was a distant dream for us, but we achieved it…So long women were given the status of a mother and daughter, but they should be given the right to pray.” The ball is now in the women’s court. Will this be followed in other matriarchal societies and elsewhere in the North-East?    

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Camel Care In Rajasthan

By year-end Rajasthan should have its first well-equipped hospital exclusively for the ‘ship of the desert’--the camel. A rescue centre, 24-hour free treatment, including hospitalization and operations, is envisaged at this hospital, to be set up at Bassi, on the Jaipur-Agra highway, by an animal welfare organization, Help in Suffering (HIS).   Camels, says the HIS are largely afflicted with saddle soars and nose peg wounds. Already, the NGO is busy educating camel owners on management practices to help keep their animals healthy. Other than distributing free plastic pegs to avoid the wounds and soars, a custom-made hydraulic ‘camel ambulance’ is doing the rounds. Besides, a Swiss and French NGOs have promised funds for camel welfare. It’s goodbye to the last straw that broke the camel’s back---INFA 

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)